Blown Away
by Smackalicious
Summary: McGee and Ziva find themselves in harm's way while investigating a lead, forcing them to rely on each other to stay alive. McGiva UST.
1. Prologue

**Title: Blown Away**  
**Pairing: hints at McGee/Ziva, but there's nothing overly romantic**  
**Rating: K+**  
**Genre: Gen**  
**Cat: Angst, Drama, Friendship, Suspense, a bit of a Casefile, UST**  
**Spoilers: None.**  
**Warnings: None.**  
**Summary: McGee and Ziva find themselves in harm's way while investigating a lead, forcing them to rely on each other to stay alive.**  
**Author's Note: Written for hazelmom for the 2012 White Elephant Exchange on NFA, using her prompt, "McGee and Ziva are trapped in a building explosion. One of them is stuck under a girder and may not be able to be saved. The team and rescuers work feverishly to get to them. Ziva and McGee must keep work together to stay alive, and have to face the possibility that both of them may not survive. Can be gen or het."**

* * *

"All I am saying is that I do not understand why we are here, at some abandoned warehouse." Ziva slammed her door shut and met McGee's eyes over the roof of the car. "It is highly unlikely that Rogers or his accomplice will be here. We should be out looking for them, not investigating some dead end!"

"Ziva, I'm sure Gibbs had a reason for sending us here." He waited for Ziva to join him on his side of the car, then fell in step with her as they started toward the warehouse. "Maybe this was their meeting spot."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Why would they be using a warehouse to meet up? Why not somewhere less . . ."

"Sketchy?" McGee finished, and Ziva just huffed to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. McGee let out a breath. "Ziva, what is wrong? You've been like this all morning."

"Like what, McGee?" she responded, sounding even more put out. "And if you say anything at all about my menstrual cycle, I will run you over with the car."

His eyes widened. "Uh, no, I wasn't thinking that. . ."

"I just get frustrated with these leads that go nowhere, how we are constantly running around doing nothing to speak of, just wasting our time."

McGee stopped in front of the entrance to the warehouse, turning to face Ziva. "That's our job, Ziva. And I know you know that and yeah, it gets frustrating, but I think something else is bothering you."

Ziva let out a sardonic laugh and pushed past him to enter the building. "Are you a psychologist now, McGee?"

"No, but I can tell this is something that's been bothering you for some time. Is it about Tony?"

Ziva shook her head in disbelief. "Incredible." That was all she said before stalking away, her steps hurried and angry.

McGee let out a sigh and withdrew his flashlight, knowing he'd only succeeded in pissing her off even more, and figuring he should survey the building so they could get out of there and back to NCIS, where he wouldn't have to talk to her unless necessary.

As he scanned the building, he caught sight of a camera perched on a wall and let out a small noise of discovery. He glanced around for Ziva, but when he didn't see – or hear – her, shrugged and snapped a photo of the camera before pulling out a pair of latex gloves and pulling a nearby crate over to climb upon to reach the camera.

As he stepped onto the crate and took the camera down, he suddenly heard Ziva's voice calling his name. He turned toward the sound, but didn't respond, still annoyed from earlier. If she wanted to talk to him, she was going to have to find him herself.

Once he had the camera in hand, he began to study it, only looking up when he heard the sound of Ziva's boots running across the concrete floor. He frowned as she called his name yet again, this time more frantic, and hopped down from the crate, jogging to meet her.

"Ziva, what's going on? Did you find something? What. . ."

Ziva didn't bother to stop, just grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her as she hurried for the exit. "There's no time! We have to get out of here!"

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" He stopped and Ziva yanked his arm again, her eyes wild with panic.

He didn't argue with her then, just ran. . .

But it was too late.

The explosion caught them both off-guard, sending them diving to the floor, and it didn't take long for the dust to settle, but things were far from okay.

Twisted metal and piles of rubble covered what was once the warehouse floor, and somewhere amid the debris were both McGee and Ziva, buried, and only time would tell if they'd come out of it alive.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews & story alerts, everyone! Very much appreciated. :) This story is already finished, so I'll just keep uploading chapters until they're all posted. And there's a sequel planned, too. ;)_

* * *

**Chapter One**

Ziva raised her head, slowly. It felt heavy, like her skull was full of rocks, and everything looked blurry, like she was staring out a dirty window. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, but even that didn't help. Frustrated, she pushed herself into a sitting position, raising a hand to her head as she did so. After a few more moments, her vision started to clear up, but once it did, she wished it hadn't.

She found herself surrounded by piles of twisted metal, broken concrete, dirt and dust. When she looked down at herself, she saw she was half-buried and quickly pushed the rubble aside as she attempted to process what happened. What happened. . .

Her head snapped up and a gasp escaped her mouth as she remembered. "McGee."

She felt around her, as if she'd find his hand, a leg, something to signal he was nearby. But the thought of him being there and being dead terrified her more than the thought of not finding him at all.

She shook her head and forced herself to focus. It would do neither of them any good for her to imagine the worst. She braced her hands on the spot she'd managed to clear on the floor and attempted to push herself to her feet, slowly standing and readjusting to the new position.

Once she was sure she could stand without falling, she scanned the space, her horror growing at the sheer magnitude of the explosion. The entire building as they knew it was gone, replaced with mountains of debris, and somewhere in that debris was her partner.

"McGee!" Her first call of his name came out hoarse, but she waited for a response anyway. When there was none, she tried again. "McGee!"

"Ziva?"

Ziva's breath caught in her throat at his voice, and she felt her heartbeat pick up, as she repeated his name, unsure of what else to do. "McGee, are you okay? Can you move?"

She saw a hand rise from where a large girder had landed, and her stomach churned with nausea, but she started toward him, soon realizing it would be easier to crawl over the ruins than to navigate them by foot. She dropped to her knees and began to crawl, the hard edges of the metal and concrete biting into the palms of her hands and ripping holes in her pants, but that didn't matter to her. Those were minor cosmetic details, things that would heal easily or could be replaced.

McGee couldn't be replaced.

She made it to his side in a few minutes, though it felt like hours to her. When he came into full view, she swore under her breath in Hebrew, but then pulled herself together and repeated, "Can you move?"

His eyes flicked to hers and she saw the panic in them as he struggled and finally said, "My legs are stuck. I can't. . ." He tried to extract himself from under the girder and Ziva crawled closer, resting a hand on his arm and causing him to look up at her.

"Don't, McGee," she said, her voice calm, though she could feel herself shaking. "You could just make it worse."

He shook his head, ignoring her words and trying again, making noises of disgust in not being able to dislodge himself. Ziva watched him, almost as though she were frozen in place, then snapped out of it and reached over to take his face in her hands and force him to look at her. "Stop!" The command came out harsher than she intended and she watched as McGee's expression turned to anger and he reached up to remove her hands from his face.

"I can take care of myself, Ziva," he said, struggling against the weight on his legs again. "You go get help."

Ziva just stared at him, horrified at the suggestion. "I'm not leaving you!"

He stopped struggling long enough to give her an incredulous look. "How else are we going to get out of here? There's no way anyone is going to know we need help. We can't just wait around for someone to show up. That could be hours from now, maybe days."

"It would not take days for Gibbs to figure out that we were in trouble," Ziva hissed.

"Besides, you made it pretty clear earlier you didn't want to be here, and I'm sure that hasn't changed anytime recently," McGee continued as though Ziva hadn't spoken. He paused for a moment, his breathing heavy, then said, "Get out of here. If one of us has to die. . ."

"Would you listen to yourself?" Ziva exploded, unable to contain her frustration any longer. "Nobody is going to die. And I am most certainly not leaving. I am sorry that you are _stuck _with me, but you do not have much of a choice in the matter, so I suggest you accept the fact that you are!"

"Why do you think I'm mad at you?" He grimaced and closed his eyes, his breathing growing more labored. "You're the one who was upset about something. I'll just . . . I'll just make it easier on you."

He stopped talking then and Ziva's expression turned from anger to concern, and from concern to panic as she watched his head loll to the side as he lost consciousness. She took his face in her hands and tried to shake life back into him, but he didn't respond.

"Dammit, McGee, why do you do this?" She softened her tone as she tried to get him to come back to her. "You take everything on your shoulders when it is a burden that should be shared, so we can work together to make it right." She crawled over so she could lay his head on her lap, fanning him with her hand and waiting for him to regain consciousness.

When she glanced down at him and caught sight of his slack expression, Ziva found herself needing to swallow the heavy emotion she suddenly felt. The reality of the situation began to settle itself in the pit of her stomach.

If they didn't get help soon, he could die.

* * *

Tony used his shoulder to hold his desk phone in place as he sent a text on his cell phone, swearing to himself as the call on the landline went to voicemail. He pressed send on the text and slammed the other phone back into its cradle, glancing up as Gibbs walked past his desk.

"Neither one of them is answering, Boss. I think we should go check on them."

Gibbs circled back and stood in front of Tony's desk. "Your gut?"

Tony gave him a serious look. "You're not worried? They should at least be on their way back by now."

"Never said I wasn't worried, DiNozzo," Gibbs responded, his voice softer than normal. He glanced up then, his gaze landing on the live ZNN feed on the television behind Tony, and he started to look away when something made him look back. His face fell as he focused in on the news story and bulletin scrolling along the bottom of the screen.

Tony looked up at him. "Boss?"

Gibbs simply nodded at the screen before heading back to his desk, grabbing his gun and saying, "Explosion outside of Norfolk. Warehouse district."

Tony stood, his movements slow as he processed what Gibbs wasn't saying. "Probie and Ziva were checking out a warehouse outside of Norfolk."

"Gas the car. I gotta go tell Vance."

Tony nodded and snapped out of it, snatching his backpack from the floor behind his desk and running for the elevator, not wasting any more time. His team was in danger, the people who meant the most to him in the world, and he wasn't about to let anything stand in his way.

Gibbs ran up the stairs to the Director's office two at a time, not even stopping at his secretary's desk and just barreling his way through into Vance's office, causing both Vance's secretary and the Director himself to stand from their desks.

"The door is there for a reason, Agent Gibbs," Vance said, his face stern. He shifted his gaze to his secretary, who took the hint and closed the door before returning to her desk. He looked back to Gibbs once they were alone. "What's so urgent, Gibbs?"

"I need a rescue squad just outside of Norfolk, as soon as possible, and we need to be discreet about it." Vance's brow furrowed in concern, and Gibbs kept on. "You been watching ZNN?"

"There was an explosion, abandoned warehouse," he said, and at the look on Gibbs' face, amended his statement. "Not abandoned?"

"Rogers case," Gibbs confirmed, pausing for just a moment before continuing. "I sent McGee and David to investigate. I'm guessing the bomb was already in place before they got there."

Vance nodded slowly, starting to see what Gibbs was getting at. "And if that was his meeting place, he could come back to make sure everything was destroyed. If he finds your agents there. . ." Gibbs echoed his nod and Vance sat back down at his desk, picking up his phone. "Go, Gibbs. I'll make sure help gets there."

Gibbs turned and rushed from the office, pulling out his phone to call Tony as he went. The only thing that mattered now was getting to McGee and Ziva . . . and hoping they weren't too late.


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: I'll probably be posting two chapters today, so I can finish posting the whole thing before Saturday, as I won't be around this weekend & don't want to torture you guys by making you wait. ;) Also, this chapter has the first real hints of McGiva, so you've been warned appropriately. ;)_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Ziva ran her hand across McGee's forehead, brushing his hair away from his eyes. She let out a sigh and tried to focus on something else for a moment, but found her vision clouded by tears. She blinked them away, letting out a sound of frustration, and looked back down at her still unconscious partner.

"You had to go and do this, didn't you?" she said. She waited for the response that would not come as long as he was still passed out, then sighed again. "I was not upset with you, or with Tony, or with anyone aside from myself. I could not be upset with you, not really. Even if you still have those photos on your computer." She smiled a bit and shook her head, and was about to say something else when she felt movement and looked down to find McGee coming to. Immediately she returned to her professional state, tapping his cheek softly to bring him to quicker.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut tighter before cracking them open, the first thing he saw being Ziva's concerned face looming over him. "Hey, Zee," he said, his voice slurred a bit. "That's a nice thing to wake up to." A hint of a smile crossed his face and his eyes started to slip shut again, but Ziva shook him, forcing him to stay awake. He frowned and tried pushing himself up, but Ziva held him down.

"You have to stay awake, McGee," she said, her voice soft, but commanding. "At least stay awake until help gets here."

He shook his head. "But I'm so tired, Zeev. You wake me up when Gibbs gets here." He started to close his eyes again and Ziva clenched her teeth, her eyes widening, and did the only thing she could think of to keep him from falling asleep – slapped him across the face. Hard.

His eyes shot open and he looked at her in confusion for a moment before frowning again, and Ziva shook her head. "I am sorry, but it was the only way to make you listen."

He just nodded and reached a hand to his head, while he tried to push himself into a sitting position with his other hand. He could see Ziva wanting to push him back down and held a hand out to stop her, saying, "Maybe if I'm sitting up, I won't feel like sleeping."

Ziva hesitated, then backed off, but helped him sit up, moving to a position where she could support him if necessary. "I am sure it will not take long for Gibbs to figure out something is not right."

"But it'll still take a couple of hours to get here."

That made Ziva fall silent, as she knew he was right about that, and just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, she felt McGee's hand on hers and looked from her hand to his face. He gave her a calm smile. "It'll be okay, Ziva."

She held his gaze for a few moments, then looked away, not allowing herself to get caught up in the emotion of the situation. They still had work to do.

That thought made her head snap up and she focused on McGee again as his brow creased in thought. "What?" he asked.

"Somebody wanted this building gone," she said, waiting for him to make the same connection as she had before continuing. When she saw the spark of recognition in his eyes, she asked, "Did you find anything before. .."

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, there was . . . a video camera. That's what I was taking down when you came back." They held each other's gaze for a few moments before he added, "I should have just listened to you. If I had, maybe we would've made it out of there – _here_ – in time."

Ziva was quick to shake her head, reaching out to place her other hand on his forearm. "No, we would likely have not made it regardless of if you had stopped or not. And really, I do not blame you for being annoyed with me. I was not being the easiest person to work with this morning."

"Yeah, what was that, anyway?" McGee asked, taking the in Ziva had unwittingly given.

She pulled her hand back from his arm then, saying, "That is not really important right now. We should try to figure out. . ."

"Ziva." She looked back at him and found him giving her a pointed look. He directed his gaze to the girder keeping him from moving. "I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon. Even if I could move this, I probably shouldn't."

Ziva stared at the girder, trying to ignore the fact that McGee's legs were trapped under it. After a few moments, she said, "You are right. And I was acting childish this morning. You will laugh at me if I tell you why I was upset, so you should know it was nothing important." She paused, then said, "Does it hurt?"

"Trying not to think about it," he answered, and Ziva nodded.

"That makes sense."

Silence fell between them again and McGee was about to say something else when Ziva suddenly grabbed his arm. He gave her a concerned look when she asked, "Did you hear that?"

He glanced around, then said, "I didn't hear anything."

She sat up straighter, turning a bit to scan the wreckage, then looked back to McGee, looking hesitant. He nodded, sensing what she wanted. "I told you before, it's okay. Just go. If there is someone or something, you'll be able to take them out and then we'll just have to wait for someone to get here."

"But what if they get to you first?" she asked, and it was then he could see the real worry in her eyes.

"Hey, I'll be okay," he said, not used to seeing her like this. He smiled. "I can still yell."

She shook her head and looked away. "It's not funny, McGee."

"I know it's not, but if I don't laugh, I'll probably start crying. And I don't want _you _to start crying, either, because I don't even know what to do in that situation."

Ziva managed a smirk at that comment. "I am not as scary as you think I am, McGee."

He returned the smile, but his eyes were tired. "I know. Now go, investigate. Before you get annoyed with me and leave me here for good."

Ziva leaned in and brushed her lips against his cheek, whispering in his ear, "You could never make me leave you for good." She then backed up and pushed herself to her feet, giving McGee one last look before starting her trek to figure out what it was she had heard.

McGee watched her walk away, and once he was sure she couldn't see the expression on his face, grimaced in pain. He didn't want to worry her any more than she already was, so he had hidden just how much pain he was in. He was sure that if they got out of this – _when _they got out of this – he wouldn't be able to walk for some time.

He hoped it would only be temporary.

Ziva used her Mossad training as she traversed the piles of debris, taking care not to injure herself, but also keeping an eye and ear open for intruders. She had to be prepared if their suspect, who was looking more and more likely as their culprit, showed up and discovered her. Or McGee.

The thought of him made her frown and she forced herself to focus. She was already too emotional, and she was frustrated with herself for it. She was not used to allowing her feelings to get in the way of her professional behavior, but she had done just that this morning, and she was allowing them to work against her now. But it was McGee.

As she scoured the open landscape, it became obvious to her that if someone were there, she would have spotted them by now. But she hid under the guise of still searching for trouble to sort out what was going on inside her head, the reason for her insolence in the first place and the dread that grew stronger with every minute that passed. She only hoped she could make sense of it all before she lost her chance.

She searched the horizon for signs of intruders – or rescue, as the case may have been – for a few moments, then turned back from where she had come. The noise she had heard must have been the wind, perhaps something from inside the city. She hoped for rescue soon – not her normal mode of operation in a situation like this, but she realized she was unable to help McGee, and she was not about to sacrifice him to save herself.

The silence of the warehouse district felt eerie to Ziva as she returned to McGee, and she wished for some distraction, something to keep her mind from wandering to places that were not only inappropriate for the situation they were in, but could also prove dangerous if she allowed her emotions to take control.

She let out a heavy breath and called out to McGee as she got within a few feet of him. "I did not see anyone. It must have been the wind or something from the city." She lowered herself to the pile of broken concrete next to him and lowered her voice. "How are you doing?"

"Could be better," he muttered, then turned his head toward her. "At least we're alone."

Ziva could not resist the innuendo, and smirked, saying, "Why, McGee, I did not think you were the type."

That made him smile a bit, though his expression seemed far away. After a few moments, he shifted and said, "What were you really upset about this morning, Ziva?"

She ran a hand through her hair, a way to diffuse the question. "It is silly," she finally said, shaking her head.

"I don't care," McGee said, and when Ziva looked over, found him watching her closely. "We aren't going anywhere, and if I did something to hurt you, I want to know what it was."

"You did nothing," Ziva responded automatically, her voice hushed. He gave her a look that said he didn't believe her and she looked away, weighing the consequences of being honest now versus waiting to discuss it once they were safely back home. But then again, there was always the chance. . . "When you were talking with Agent Young before we left, did you mean what you said?" She looked back to him then, finding him giving her a surprised look. "I know, I should not have been listening in on your conversation, but I heard my name. . ."

He shrugged, and his forehead crinkled in confusion. "I guess I didn't really think anything of it. I didn't think you'd be upset about it. Unless you don't want others at work to know how close we are. . ."

"You said I was like a sister to you," Ziva said softly, and met his eyes again, hoping to express what she didn't want to say aloud through her eyes.

She watched his eyebrows move up and down as he tried to make sense of what she wasn't saying. Finally, he said, "I didn't know."

Ziva made a noise. "That makes two of us, then," she responded, and he gave her a questioning look. She shook her head. "I had not considered it until. . ."

A loud boom cut her off, and she found herself letting out a shriek and throwing herself on top of McGee as the ground shook below them and one of the other buildings crumbled to the ground. McGee instinctively wrapped his arms around her, covering her head with one hand.

The explosion lasted a few minutes, but felt longer. Eventually, the silence returned and as the dust settled, McGee spoke. "You okay, Ziva?" he asked, and she nodded against him, but didn't move. He frowned and tried to sit up. "Hey, you're shaking. It's okay, Ziva. It's over."

She shook her head and pushed herself away from him then, running her hand through her hair. "It's not over," she said, looking around for signs of more trouble, then turning back to him. "We have to get out of here."

"I can't, Ziva! My leg is stuck! And even if we somehow managed to get it free, I can't walk on it. We have to wait."

"Is that your answer to everything?" she exploded, unable to hold in her frustration any longer. "That we wait and see what happens? The rest of these buildings could come down and help could never arrive. I am sorry that I do not want to watch you die out here!"

"Well, why don't you get out here then, if I'm such a hassle to you!" McGee yelled in response, his own emotions taking their toll on him. "I'm sorry that I can't escape and that makes me weak and ruins your plans, but there's nothing I can do about it! I'm not some superhero, I can't save myself and come out of everything unharmed. I'm not Gibbs or Tony. If they were here, you'd probably already be safe back in DC. But they aren't here, so either we wait together or you leave me here, so you can get back to your life and not have to worry about me anymore."

Ziva just sat there in shock at his words. Yes, she had gone off on him, but she hadn't expected the same response from him, though she felt like she probably deserved it. But then, she thought about what he'd said, and the words made her even angrier.

"Would you listen to yourself?" she said, giving him a defiant look. "You are not weak, and you are not a 'hassle' to me. This was an _accident_. I simply want us both to escape with our lives." She paused and lowered her voice before continuing. "I could not leave you, not now."

That sobered McGee and he lost himself in his thoughts for a few moments before he shifted, then his expression changed as he turned back to Ziva, his eyes wide. "I can feel my leg," he muttered, and Ziva looked confused, then scrambled to look, her face paling as she took in his now free leg. She snapped her head to look him in the eye and found him looking glazed, and her own eyes widened in panic.

"Stay with me, McGee!" she hissed, shaking him to keep him from slipping into shock. She glanced back at his leg, realizing she needed to do something to stop the bleeding, and wondered how it got freed in the first place. Thinking back, she realized that when he had gotten upset and was running his mouth about being a hassle to her, he'd been moving around a lot, and had somehow managed to dislodge his leg from under the girder.

"Ziva. . ."

Ziva snapped out of her thoughts and got back to business, only glancing at McGee's face for a moment before turning her attention back to his leg, her mind running at what to do next. A light bulb went off in her mind then and she reached for her own leg, remembering the knife she kept there. She withdrew it and positioned herself over McGee's leg, taking care not to cut his leg as she sawed at the material of his pants.

Once she'd exposed his leg, she sat back, unsure what to do next. There really was nothing she could do to help, as she knew the main course of treatment for this sort of thing was an IV of fluids and she certainly didn't have access to anything like that. She looked back to McGee's face, his closed eyes and slack expression, and found her vision blurring as tears pricked at her eyes.

He was right. All they could do now was wait, and she felt completely helpless.

* * *

"We gotta be getting close, Boss."

Gibbs didn't need to look at Tony to know the younger agent was fidgeting with nervous energy. He longed to slap some sense into him, literally, but couldn't really blame him for his behavior, either. He was worried, too.

"Almost there, DiNozzo," he muttered, the only acknowledgment he made to Tony's words, and caught sight of him nod in response.

He had just pressed down harder on the gas pedal when they heard a loud boom, causing them both to curse in surprise.

"The hell was that?" Tony said, and Gibbs didn't answer aloud, just sped up, his gut churning.

They had to get to McGee and Ziva, and fast.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Ziva raised her head from McGee's chest again, watching his face as a smile slowly crossed over it. "What?" she asked, her voice barely coming out as a whisper.

"We've got to stop ending up in this position," he said. "If someone were to see us. . ."

"I would not even care," Ziva said, pushing herself off him once more and scanning the area around them, which was still cloudy from the dust from the most recent explosion.

"Gibbs and Tony should be here soon," McGee said, and Ziva looked back to him, feeling her heart drop at his optimism. She was not sure how he did it – thought only the best when the world was so unfair, so cruel.

She couldn't bear to tell him otherwise, though, and she wanted to believe what he said, as well, so she simply brushed his hair back from his forehead and said, "I'm sure they will be."

A few moments of silence passed between them, then McGee muttered, "I hate waiting."

Though the situation was less than ideal, his words struck Ziva as funny and she was unable to hold back her laughter. It started as a small giggle, but once she saw the expression on McGee's face, she broke into a full-fledged laugh, while McGee laid there with a grin on his face, as laughing took too much energy he didn't have.

As Ziva was laughing, McGee heard something and tried to shush her, but she wasn't paying attention, so he reached over and pinched her thigh.

"Ow!" she screeched. "What was that for?" She rubbed at the sore spot, giving him a dirty look.

"I heard something," he said, and that made Ziva perk up and look around. A crunching that sounded like car tires on gravel had her scrambling to her feet, and she stood on the offensive, ready to protect herself and McGee if need be.

And that's when she saw it.

She spun to look at McGee, a bright smile on her face. "It looks like them," she said, but her smile fell as she noticed he wasn't responding. She dropped to her knees, taking his head in her hands and trying to get him to respond, but she was having even less success than earlier. She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from overreacting, and lowered her ear to his mouth. He was breathing, so she stood up again, ready to alert Tony and Gibbs to their location.

The car stopped and she waited for the doors to open and the men to step out before waving her arms around, attempting to get their attention.

Tony noticed the movement first, squinting against the dust still settling from the explosion, and elbowed Gibbs in the side. "Is that. . ." he started, and Gibbs nodded before he could finish, already picking up his pace.

"Ziva."

The men jogged toward where she stood, wanting to go faster, but needing to keep an eye out for their suspect if he happened to show up, while traversing the rough terrain created by the building's debris. At last, they arrived where Ziva and McGee were, finding Ziva kneeling at McGee's side, her fingers on his wrist.

"You okay, Ziva?" Tony asked, and Ziva nodded, but didn't take her eyes off McGee.

"I am fine. McGee's right leg was trapped under a girder for . . . I do not know how long. He managed to free it not that long ago and he was doing okay, but he passed out just before I saw you two." She finally looked up, and they saw the desperation in her eyes. "We need to get an ambulance out here. I am afraid to move him with his leg how it is."

Gibbs gave a curt nod. "He'll be okay, Ziva. I'll make the call." He turned and rushed back to the car, leaving Tony with Ziva and McGee.

Ziva had turned her attention back to McGee and held one of his hands in both of hers. Tony narrowed his eyes at the sight, but didn't say anything about it, instead bringing her back to the case. "We're keeping an eye out for Rogers, but so far, no sign."

"I suppose that is a good thing, yes?" Ziva responded after a moment, though she didn't look up at him. "It will make our trip to the hospital much easier."

Tony shifted, watching his partners with concern. "We still have a job to do, Ziva."

"I do not care about that right now, Tony," she responded quickly, her voice hushed and tense. He watched as her hold on McGee's hand tightened.

"Hey, watch the grip," he joked. "Don't need Probie losing a hand, too." Ziva didn't respond to him, running her other hand over McGee's forehead instead. Tony cleared his throat. "That was a joke. . ."

"It is not funny, Tony," Ziva said, her voice neutral, though he could tell she was far more shaken than she let on. "He will be okay."

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and decided to go for the jugular. "Yeah? That's certainly not the way you're acting." She tensed up and he continued. "What's got you so emotional, Ziva?"

Ziva sat in silence, unsure of how to answer his question, and was saved from answering at all by Gibbs returning, saying, "Ambulance is on its way. They've got armed officers with them, just in case they run into Rogers or his accomplice. DiNozzo, go keep an eye out for them."

"But, Boss. . ."

Gibbs stared him down and he nodded and walked away. Gibbs looked down to Ziva then, seeing her relax a bit at Tony's departure. "You okay?" he asked, his tone of voice conveying more of a personal concern than professional.

"I told you I am fine, Gibbs," she responded, still watching McGee. "It is McGee we should be concerned about."

Gibbs nodded, though she didn't see the action. "You're right." He paused, and was about to say something else when he heard a vehicle arriving and glanced over, seeing the ambulance in the distance. He looked back to Ziva. "You should probably go get checked out yourself."

Ziva started to shake her head, but then sensed Gibbs' true motive and shrugged, trying not to look or sound too hopeful. "I suppose that would not hurt," she said after a moment, keeping her tone neutral. She caught sight of Tony returning with the EMTs in tow and glanced up at Gibbs. "Thank you."

"Someone's gonna need to deal with Abby," he said as though she hadn't said anything. He turned to watch Tony walk in, using one hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "I got work to do."

Ziva felt her stomach flip at the thought. She needed time to process what her emotions were doing; she didn't want to have to comfort Abby at the same time. She felt selfish for having that thought in the first place, but then she thought how she didn't usually allow herself the luxury of giving her emotions time to make sense of themselves, either.

She looked back to Gibbs to protest, but the arrival of the EMTs stole her attention, and she pushed herself to her feet, Gibbs helping her stand.

"Were you injured at all, miss?" the female EMT asked, while her male counterpart started to check on McGee.

Ziva couldn't help but watch what was going on with McGee, but shook her head to answer the woman. "Uh, no, just a few scratches. Nothing serious."

"Well, we'd still like to check you out, just to make sure," the EMT responded, and Ziva nodded, turning to look at her again.

"Of course, just make it quick." The EMT looked at her with surprise and she elaborated. "My main concern is for my partner."

The EMT smiled at her. "We'll take good care of him, and you can even ride back in the ambulance with him."

Ziva glanced at Gibbs, who just shrugged – he'd already given her permission to go along to the hospital. She managed a small smile, though the worry was still evident in her eyes. The female EMT then turned to help her partner with McGee, the two of them bracing his body and lifting it on to a stretcher.

Ziva watched the scene unfold, her worry only growing at the delicacy they used in handling McGee. "Is all this really necessary?" She tried to make her question sound professional, but she couldn't stop the hint of fear from creeping into her voice and mentally slapped herself.

The female EMT looked up at Ziva, giving her another soft smile. "We're just taking precautions. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about as far as spinal injuries, but with an accident of this magnitude, we can never be too careful."

That seemed to soothe Ziva's nerves a bit and she nodded, letting out a heavy breath. "You have a point. Of course." She glanced at Gibbs, needing the go-ahead for them to leave.

He made a shooing motion with his hand. "We've got this under control. Call Ducky when you get to the hospital. I want him there."

Ziva nodded and turned back to the EMTs, following them as they carried the stretcher with McGee to the ambulance. She waited until they were settled before climbing in, the female EMT giving her a hand up, and sat on one of the side benches, turning her attention back to McGee and taking hold of his hand again.

Gibbs watched the scene unfold until the back doors closed, then looked back at the disaster around them, letting out a sigh. There was a lot of work to do yet, and he just hoped they'd be able to make some progress on the case . . . and that McGee would pull through relatively unharmed.

He looked over at Tony, finding the younger man scanning the horizon, and called out, "DiNozzo!" Tony looked at him and he motioned for him to join him. "Come on. We got work to do."

"Yeah, Boss," Tony responded, his voice subdued. Gibbs knew the reality of almost losing his partners was just hitting him and he made a mental note to keep the younger man distracted with work. He needed that himself.

* * *

After being checked out and insisting she was fine, Ziva was relegated to the waiting room, with the promise that she would stay there overnight. She had immediately agreed, but only because she was not about to leave until McGee did, or at the very least, until she knew he would be okay. The nurse who checked her out had brought her a sandwich and a bottle of water, but though Ziva hadn't eaten anything all day, she found that she wasn't very hungry. She was still picking at her sandwich when she heard a familiar high-pitched voice and the clomp of heavy boots running toward her.

She stood from her chair, setting the half-eaten sandwich on a nearby table, and held her hands out in front of her to prevent Abby from tackle hugging her. The other woman took the cue and instead wrapped her arms around her in a gentle embrace, rambling all the while.

"Oh my God, Ziva, are you okay? Ducky told me what happened and I can't believe you were in an _explosion_ and Timmy!" She continued to hold Ziva, until Ziva backed away, giving the other woman a small smile.

"I am fine, Abby. McGee is in surgery. . ."

"Surgery!" Abby's shriek was expected, but still made both Ziva and Ducky wince. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Timmy's never in surgery. . ." She suddenly stopped moving and said, "I need a Caf-Pow," before running away toward a vending machine.

Ziva watched her run off, then turned to Ducky, who was giving her a concerned look. "I promise you, Ducky, I really am fine. The nurse checked me out and. . ."

He shook his head. "I trust that you are physically unharmed, but something tells me other parts of yourself did not make it out unscathed."

Ziva ran a hand through her hair, considering how open to be with him. After a few moments, she realized he would see through any lies she told him, and decided to be honest. "Today was not easy, for a lot of reasons. I . . . McGee and I . . . I was short with him before the explosion, and I suppose I feel responsible in a way."

Ducky reached a hand out to put on her shoulder, but it was another moment before he spoke. When he did, he said just what Ziva was expecting him to. "There's more to it than that, though, isn't there?"

She nodded, staying quiet for a bit before saying, "I, ah, overheard him this morning talking to another agent. He said I was like a sister to him."

She didn't look at Ducky, though she knew he would figure out the meaning behind her anecdote soon enough. It wasn't long before he spoke again. "Oh," was all he said, but it was all he needed to say.

Ziva sighed and turned back to the chair she'd occupied before Ducky and Abby had arrived. She collapsed into it, feeling defeated. "I feel selfish, Ducky. I wish I would have realized it sooner." Ducky opened his mouth to respond, but Ziva caught sight of Abby returning then and quickly spoke up before he could say anything. "Can we keep this between the two of us?"

He nodded, but said, "I will not say anything, but I cannot promise the others will not figure it out."

Ziva held his gaze for a moment before nodding, then looked to Abby, who was sucking on the Caf-Pow! she'd mentioned needing. Abby skittered over and plopped into the chair next to Ziva, still radiating nervous energy. "I still can't believe this happened! I don't know what I would do without my Timmy!" She continued to bounce her legs anxiously, and Ziva tried to rein in her emotions, but Abby's words made it difficult. No matter what happened with McGee, how he recovered and whether or not he returned the feelings she'd just realized, Abby had a point: McGee would always be Abby's, and Ziva didn't think there was anything she could do to change that.

The realization of that made her heart ache, and she swallowed, suddenly needing some fresh air. She pushed herself to her feet, causing both Ducky and Abby to look at her with concern. "Excuse me. It is feeling a bit . . . sticky in here."

Ducky frowned, but not at her mistake. "Would you like some company?" he asked, giving her a look he knew she would understand.

She managed to give him a small smile. "No thank you, Ducky. I would like a moment to myself." He looked unsure about allowing her to go by herself and she nodded. "I will not go anywhere except just outside. I will not leave the hospital grounds until I know McGee is okay. I don't think I will be long."

"If you are sure. . ." Ducky said, and Ziva rolled her eyes, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"It is not me about whom you should be concerned," she said, and reached over to pat his hand before turning for the nurse's station, assuring the nurse on duty she was stepping outside for just a moment before heading for the door.

In his seat, Ducky frowned. He could tell Ziva was more upset than she let on just from how formal her English was. But he had given her his word that their conversation would be kept quiet, and he didn't need to give Abby anything else that would cause her worry, so he didn't comment on her behavior, just turned back to Abby, prepared to be the confidante he was known to be.

Abby turned to him. "Do you think she's okay?"

Ducky sighed. "She will assure us otherwise, but I believe today was a rather traumatic experience for her. She feels responsible for Timothy being injured, and guilty, I am sure, for not being injured herself." That much he felt comfortable telling Abby, as it was something she was bound to figure out herself, and it didn't reveal the true depths of emotions Ziva was experiencing.

"The only person who should be held responsible is the jerk who blew up the building in the first place," Abby grumbled, and Ducky hid a smirk, but he had to agree.

"I think we can all agree on that, but just think of it this way, Abby." She turned to look at him and he gave her a wicked look. "Once Ziva gets her hands on him, he will be sure to pay for what he has done."

Abby continued to pout for a bit, then returned his devious look. "I'll do whatever needs to be done to make sure we catch him ASAP," she said, and engulfed Ducky in a sudden hug.

He laughed and returned the hug, saying, "I am sure Jethro will let us know when they have evidence for you to process. In the meantime, all we can do is wait."

Abby nodded against his shoulder, then pulled away. "McGee has to be okay. He has to be!" She went in for another hug, Ducky patting her on the back this time.

"He will be, my dear. I have no doubt about it."


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: I think I lost half my readers with that last chapter, lol. ;) But hopefully those of you still reading will enjoy the rest of the fic. :D Remember, Ziva's interrogation is yet to come. ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Meanwhile, Ziva had wandered to a small flower garden outside the hospital, finding refuge among the colorful blooms. She sat down on a stone bench, staring into a calming waterfall in the center of the garden and letting her thoughts take over. If there was one thing she had realized, it was that she needed to collect herself and make sense of what she was feeling now, so she could get back to living her life. Not to mention they had a suspect to find, a case to investigate. She needed her head to be clear so she could focus, and the only way to do that would be to sort out her feelings before McGee recovered, so they could talk once he was ready and she could let him know exactly what it was she wanted.

A soft buzzing drew her attention to a patch of daffodils and she watched a bee alight on one of the flowers, going about its business. She studied the bee with envy – it had things so easy, no emotions to get in the way of doing its job, just the instinct to pollinate or whatever it was bees did.

She let out a sigh and stood, not sure she'd really made any sense of things, but knowing that sometimes that was part of being human, and that she would probably need more than a quick break to figure out what she was feeling. She smiled then as she thought how maybe all that was needed was just to see him again, and that thought sent her back into the hospital feeling better than she was when she had gone outside.

When she returned to the waiting room, Ziva found Gibbs had arrived, and she hurried back to where he was standing, fearing she had missed something. "Gibbs?" she said as she neared his side.

He turned to look at her and, seeing the worry in her eyes, shook his head. "You didn't miss anything here, Ziva. Haven't heard anything on McGee yet."

"But. . ." she said, knowing there was something she was missing, that Gibbs was there for a reason.

"We know where Rogers is."

Ziva's eyes widened before darkening in anger, and she said, "Where is he? I can assure you he will not leave in one piece." She took a step forward, as if to leave the hospital again, but Gibbs stuck his arm out in front of her, preventing her from going anywhere. She looked up at him in annoyance, and he tried to hide a smirk, though the situation was far from funny.

"_We _are not going anywhere until McGee's out of surgery," he said, and Ziva's expression softened as she was reminded of why they were there.

"Of course," she agreed, nodding. "Ah, can I ask how you found Rogers?"

"Not important," he said, and she gave him a demanding look. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around, and murmured, "You don't need to know that right now. Once we have him in custody, then you'll get your turn." He squeezed her shoulder and she nodded, suddenly feeling like Gibbs was able to see right through her and what she was feeling – but then, he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

She was just about to move away to sit down when a doctor appeared in the opening of the waiting room, glancing over a clipboard. He looked up after a moment, saying, "Are you here for Timothy McGee?"

Abby and Ducky both stood from their chairs then as Gibbs nodded behind Ziva, saying, "We're with NCIS, yes. How is he?"

The doctor smiled. "He's just been taken out of surgery, and it'll be a long recovery process, but I have no doubt that he'll regain full use of his legs in a couple months."

"Months?" Ziva repeated, feeling the news weigh down on everyone in the room. McGee would be taken off fieldwork, and even after he recovered, there were psych evaluations to pass, proficiency tests. . .

"Yes, well, I think with lots of _love_," Ducky started, and Ziva tried her best to keep her expression neutral, while hoping Ducky didn't look her way as he spoke those words, "and support, Timothy will come out of this unscathed. So I suggest we all give him that, as it will be all we can do."

There was a round of nods, and Ziva softly said, "Of course, Ducky," then turned back to the doctor. "When can we see him?"

He smiled again. "I'll check with the nurse and see if she's got him settled in, but once that's done, anytime. He'll be a little groggy yet, but the surgery was relatively minor – more checking for any permanent damage than anything – so he'll probably wake up more once he sees all of you." He looked over his shoulder then back to Ziva. "I'll be back in just a minute."

He walked off toward the intensive care unit, leaving the group in the waiting room to turn to face each other. Gibbs spoke first. "We shouldn't stay too long, in any case. Not all of us, at least." Ziva dipped her head at his words, but snapped it up again as he continued. "Tomorrow I'll get back to work and bring Rogers in."

"I want to be there," Ziva said, and Gibbs nodded, turning her in the direction the doctor had left.

"You'll be there."

She spun to face him. "Where's Tony? He should be here, too."

Gibbs remained calm, still nodding. "He will be. He was securing the scene when I left and needed to fill the local LEO's in on the situation, but he was coming here right after."

Ziva nodded then and turned back to wait for the doctor's return, but before he could come back, a noise sounded from behind the group and they turned to see Tony rush in, looking out of breath.

"I miss anything?" he wheezed, and Abby hurried to his side, rubbing his back as he caught his breath.

"Timmy just got out of surgery," she said. "The doctor was just going to let us go in to see him once he's all settled in."

Tony stood up straight, letting out a deep breath. "But he's gonna be okay, right?"

"Yeah!" Abby smiled and nodded at him. "The doctor said it'll only take him a couple of months to regain full use of his leg."

Tony frowned and looked at Ziva. "Months?" She shrugged a shoulder and glanced back to see if the doctor was returning yet, raising her hand to the Star of David she wore around her neck and rubbing the pendant between her fingers. Tony watched her for a few moments before looking at Gibbs. "Uh, I found a video camera at the scene." Ziva's head snapped back to face him so fast that Tony jumped. "Whoa. Trying to give me a heart attack there, Ziva?"

"The camera, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, while Tony gave Ziva a dirty look.

"It's pretty banged up, but I thought maybe McGee. . ."

"In case you have not noticed, _Tony_," Ziva interrupted, "McGee is incapacitated at the moment. Perhaps you would like to rethink your idea."

"Ziva," Gibbs said quietly, and she nodded and amended her statement.

"Maybe Abby could salvage something," she said, and Tony nodded, choosing not to comment on her behavior.

"I accept the challenge," Abby said, and gave a mock salute, though her normal chipper spirit wasn't fully in it.

"Tomorrow," Gibbs said, and tipped his head toward the nurse's station. The group turned to see the doctor returning and quieted, waiting for what he had to say.

"I can let you see him now, though I'd prefer if you kept your visit short," he said. "Agent McGee needs to rest." Nobody said anything, just nodded, so he turned back down the hall, the group following him in silence. He stopped before a curtained-off area, holding it aside and smiling, a sign that they should go ahead.

Gibbs led the way and everyone trickled in after him, Ziva waiting until everyone else had gone in before joining them. Nobody said anything until Gibbs walked closer to McGee's side, tapping him on the arm. "McGee."

McGee opened his eyes then, blinking a bit and turning his head to look at Gibbs. "Boss?"

"Yeah, and everybody else, too," he said, and McGee nodded slightly before his eyes widened and he attempted to sit up. Gibbs held him back, but encouraged him to share what had him so worried all of a sudden.

"Ziva?" he asked, trying to look around Gibbs to find her.

Ziva stepped out from where she was standing behind Ducky and Abby, sliding in front of Gibbs so McGee could see her clearly. "I am right here, McGee," she said, looking down as he searched for her hand and putting her hand in his, then looking back to his face and smiling.

"You're okay?" he asked, and Ziva's expression turned to something between a frown and a smile.

"Of course," she said. "_You _were the one hurt, not me. You should not be concerned with me. I just – _we _just want you to recover." She felt Gibbs shift slightly behind her and was reminded that she was not alone with McGee and suddenly felt exposed, but McGee squeezed her hand and she forgot her hesitance when she met his eyes and instead remembered the feelings she had only just realized she had for him.

"Ziva's right," Abby said from behind her, and Ziva gave McGee a quick smile before releasing his hand and stepping back, allowing the others their chance to speak with him. "All that matters now is that you're going to be okay."

He nodded and added, "And that we get the guy who did this." Nobody responded to that, and Tony scratched the back of his head, so McGee read between the lines. "You caught him?"

"Bringing him in tomorrow," Gibbs confirmed, and McGee looked like he wanted to jump out of the bed, but Gibbs held him back again. "We've got it under control, Tim."

Ziva stepped into McGee's line of vision again, smirking. "Nobody hurts my McGee and gets away with it."

If anyone was curious about Ziva's sudden possessiveness over McGee, they didn't say anything, and her words seemed to comfort him, as he relaxed in the bed, his eyelids drooping as he tried to stay awake.

"The doctor did say we should keep our visit short," Ducky said softly, a hint to the others that they should leave McGee to get his rest.

"Get better soon, Timmy," Abby said, stepping forward and dropping a kiss on McGee's cheek.

On the other side of the bed, Tony spoke. "Rogers won't know what hit him once Ziva's done with him."

McGee gave a sleepy smile and Gibbs said, "Okay, come on, let's go home. We'll be back tomorrow, Tim."

McGee nodded and they started to file out of the space, but Ziva stayed where she was. Gibbs gave her a look and she said, "I will meet you in a minute. I think the nurse wanted to check on me again, anyway." He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything as he stepped out of the space, leaving Ziva and McGee alone.

She watched him walk out and waited until she was sure he was out of hearing range before turning back to McGee, taking a deep breath as she did so. She stepped back to where she stood earlier, resting her hands on his forearm, and he looked over at her, the sleepy smile still on his face. "Couldn't wait to get me alone?" he said, and Ziva adjusted her hold on him, thinking about how to respond.

"I know now is not the best time for this, but I wanted you to know that I would like to take some time to sort out my feelings," she said, keeping her voice low in case someone had come back.

He opened his eyes wider. "Of course, Ziva." He gave her a small smile. "I am sorry for what I said this morning."

Ziva shook her head. "I know you didn't mean it in a bad way. I reacted poorly, and I am very appreciative that you are giving me a second chance."

He laughed softly. "It's not the first argument we've had, and I'm sure it won't be our last." He let out a yawn then, apologizing after, and Ziva took that as he cue that she should leave.

"I will let you get some rest," she said, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek and murmuring in his ear before standing. "I wish I could have gotten us out of there in time."

"Hey," he said, moving his hand to cup her face and make her look at him. "It's not your fault. And . . . if what happened was what it took for you to admit that maybe you had feelings for me. . ." He trailed off and smiled, and Ziva couldn't hide her own smile and shook her head, backing away.

"You are making it very hard to leave," she said, then stood up, letting out a breath. "I will be back tomorrow, and we can talk more then." She turned to leave then, before he could suck her back in, but he called out to her before she could get past the curtains.

"Ziva," he said, and she turned, but didn't return to his side. He grinned. "I don't think of you like a sister."

She smiled and narrowed her eyes at him, before turning back to leave. "Good night, McGee," she said, pushing the curtain aside and finally leaving.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

She started back toward the waiting room to meet Gibbs, but stopped a few feet into her journey, leaning against the wall. She lifted a hand to her chest and was dismayed to find her heart beating erratically. A scowl crossed her face as she thought of how the nurse would react to finding her in this state, and what Gibbs would say.

She closed her eyes for a moment, giving herself the time to calm down, then opened them and turned to return to the waiting room, but as she did, she literally ran into someone. Apologizing, she looked up into Gibbs' concerned eyes. He grasped her arms gently and held her at arm's length, asking, "You okay?"

"Yes, yes, I was just. . ." She waved her hand around, attempting to come up with a reasonable excuse for her behavior. She sighed. "Today has been very stressful, and I am relieved McGee will be okay, but. . ."

"Okay," Gibbs said, snaking an arm around her shoulder and directing her back to the waiting room. He didn't want to push her into revealing more than she was comfortable, but he also felt he didn't have to. He could feel the slight tremors that coursed through her body as he guided her back toward the nurse's station, and knew today's events had shaken her more than she would ever admit.

"Agent David," the nurse practitioner said as she arrived in the mouth of the waiting room. "Agent Gibbs has informed me that you will be staying with him tonight and that he'll keep an eye out for any changes in your condition."

Ziva narrowed her eyes in confusion, but recovered quickly and answered the nurse. "Oh, yes, of course. I am sorry, it is just so late and I am ready to go home. Or, well, get some rest, at least."

If the nurse seemed suspicious of Ziva's words, she didn't say anything, just continued to check over Ziva's chart. She looked up after a minute, smiling. "Well, I suppose I can let you head out. I hear you'll be back tomorrow to visit Agent McGee again, so if you're feeling unwell then, you can always have someone check you out."

Ziva nodded, just wanting to get out of the hospital, and really wanting to give Rogers a piece of her mind, but she knew that would have to wait until the next day. She turned to Gibbs, who thanked the nurse, then led Ziva from the hospital.

Once they were outside, Ziva spoke. "Thank you for that. I cannot imagine having to stay overnight in one of those rooms."

"I think you could," Gibbs said, and Ziva resisted the urge to roll her eyes, keeping her expression neutral. He didn't say anything else then, just continued the walk to his car, Ziva trying to act nonchalant as she strode beside him.

As they reached the car and Ziva opened the passenger door, she said, "Thank you again for the ride home. I really did not want to have to take a taxi tonight." She slid inside the car and Gibbs climbed in the other side, slamming his door shut.

"That nurse wasn't lying," he said, and Ziva narrowed her eyes at him.

"I thought you just said that to get her to let us leave."

"I wanted to make sure you didn't go home and do something stupid," Gibbs muttered, and Ziva gave him an incredulous look.

"Like what?" she asked, her voice rising. So much for acting nonchalant.

"I don't know, Ziva. Maybe something like track down Rogers' location and give him the sort of interrogation Mossad uses?"

Ziva turned to look out her window, not wanting to look at Gibbs anymore. "I would not have done that, as much as I would like to." Gibbs turned the key in the ignition then, adding the purr of the engine to their conversation.

He backed out of his spot and waited until they were on the road before speaking again. "You gonna be okay to do the interrogation tomorrow?"

She spun to face him, irritated. "I have done my fair share of interrogations, Gibbs, and I will not do anything rash, if that is what you are worried about."

"Not what I'm worried about," he said softly, turning on his turn signal to get onto the exit ramp. He could feel Ziva's eyes on him and spoke without looking at her. "You're pretty close to McGee."

Ziva felt a flash of panic before recovering and putting on a unfazed expression. "So are Tony and Abby. He is my co-worker. And he is going to be fine. I do not know what you mean." She looked out her window again, feeling her stomach twist at what it seemed Gibbs had figured out.

"You seemed more bothered than that at the hospital." His calm way of speaking ruffled Ziva's feathers, but she wasn't about to let him see her true feelings, so she covered it up the best way she knew how.

"Yes, well, I was in an explosion. It was a bit of a stressful situation."

Gibbs didn't react to her terse words. He'd seen how soft she'd been earlier, while they were visiting McGee, and he knew regardless of how she was acting now, that soft side was more a more accurate depiction of how she really felt. He wasn't sure what their status was, if McGee returned the feelings Ziva clearly had for him, or if they had acted on them if so, and while it really wasn't any of his business, he felt the need to inform Ziva that he knew.

"I know," he said after a few moments, and he felt more than saw Ziva tense up. "I've been in an explosion or two myself." Ziva relaxed and he hid a smirk. "I also know what's it's like to worry about someone you love."

Ziva couldn't hold back her shock at those words and whipped her head to face Gibbs, her eyes wide. "What is that supposed to mean?" The words were out before she could censor herself, and she swore internally. If he hadn't figured it out before that, he certainly would know now.

"You tell me, David," he said, and Ziva felt the sudden urge to hit him for his casual demeanor concerning this. "You have feelings for Tim?"

Ziva shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling even more vulnerable. She knew she couldn't lie to him; he would know if she wasn't telling the truth. But she wasn't sure what she felt, and talking to Gibbs about it felt slightly awkward, if only because they were talking about McGee.

Gibbs opened his mouth, but Ziva quickly spoke before he could say anything. "I don't know," she said honestly, and felt that Gibbs was waiting for more and shrugged. "All I know is that I heard him telling someone I was like a sister to him and I really did not like that comparison in the slightest." She shook her head. "Not that it really matters either way, because there is that rule of yours to think about. . ."

"Yeah, well, I got a couple of other rules that negate that one, Ziva," Gibbs said, and Ziva felt her heart leap to attention at his words, but she tried to cover her excitement with nonchalance again.

"I do not even know what is going to happen or not happen, so you have nothing to worry about quite yet," she said, looking out the window again, though that was a pointless gesture, as the cover of night hid any view from her eyes.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, but remained quiet. There was nothing else to discuss right now, and he certainly wasn't about to suggest anything to her one way or the other, so it was for the best if he just dropped it.

The rest of the trip found them in silence, or near silence, as Ziva had fallen asleep at some point and was snoring loudly in her seat. Gibbs pulled up outside his house and turned off the car, unbuckling his seat belt and sitting for a moment, waiting to see if Ziva would wake on her own. When she didn't, he rested a hand on her shoulder, his voice soft as he said, "Hey, we're here."

Ziva cracked her eyes open, mumbling incoherent words as she righted herself, blinking and licking her lips before looking over at Gibbs. "Sorry, I fell asleep," she muttered, opening her eyes wide in an attempt to wake up.

Gibbs shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about, Ziva. You've had a long day. Come on." He opened his door, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air as he stood, slamming his door shut and waiting for Ziva to do the same on her side.

Ziva's door shut and he saw her stand on the other side of the car and walked around to join her. She followed him to the house, saying, "I do hope I will not have to sleep in your basement, Gibbs."

He couldn't hold back a laugh at that, pushing the door to his house open and directing Ziva inside. "Nah. You can even sleep in a bed."

"How considerate," Ziva said, smiling as Gibbs led her up the stairs to the guest bedroom. He stopped in the doorway and let her investigate the room, and when she looked back to him, spoke.

"Anything you need, you let me know. Get some sleep."

He turned to leave and heard Ziva's voice follow him down the stairs. "As long as you do the same."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next morning, Ziva woke to a bit of sunlight streaming in through the blinds and glanced around, briefly confused, before she remembered where she was and relaxed. She pulled the covers back and groaned as she looked down at her pretty much ruined clothes. She felt dirty and wanted to change, but knew that would have to wait until she returned to her apartment.

She stretched her arms over her head and slid from the bed, slipping on her shoes before heading downstairs, to where she knew Gibbs would likely be. But when she reached the living room, she was surprised to find an empty couch, a rumpled blanket the only sign anyone had been there at all.

She frowned and was about to head back upstairs, or to the basement, when she turned and nearly ran into the person for whom she was searching. "You scared me," she muttered, following him as he walked into the kitchen.

"I thought you might want breakfast," he said, and it was then that Ziva noticed the pan of bacon sizzling on the stove, along with another filled with scrambled eggs, and two slices of toast popped up just as she looked at the toaster, as if on cue.

Ziva thought about denying her hunger, but her stomach gave a growl and she grumbled under her breath at its timing. She watched as Gibbs opened the refrigerator and removed a carton of orange juice, giving him a surprised look as he poured some into two glasses. He turned and handed her one, taking in her expression and saying, "What? I don't only drink coffee."

Ziva chuckled and sat down at the kitchen table, as Gibbs spooned the food onto two plates and brought them over. They made quick work of the food, both from hunger and a desire to get back to work, as today would be a long day, and they wanted to get going as soon as possible.

After a stop at Ziva's apartment so she could shower and change, they headed to NCIS, Ziva feeling both eager to get to work and nervous about what would happen once they got there. She was sure word had spread around the office about what had happened the day before, and she didn't want to deal with the whispers and looks that were sure to be directed her way. Not to mention she was bound to get a fair share of questions about McGee's condition, and that was something she definitely did not want to handle.

Ziva had just sat down at her desk when she heard the elevator signal its arrival, and shortly after she was joined by Tony, who slid his backpack off and let it fall on the floor behind his desk. "I called and arranged to pick up Rogers on my way in," he said to Gibbs, who just nodded, not looking up from his paperwork. "He's in interrogation."

At that piece of information, Ziva's head popped up, her eyes wide. "He is here right now?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd save us the trouble of going to get him later. I thought you'd be happy. You interrogate him, scare his boxer briefs right off, lock him up and you're free to go see McGee." He raised a large jelly doughnut to his mouth, intending to take a bite, but Ziva's words made him pause, the doughnut still hanging in the air.

"I do not know what type of person you all take me for, that I would sooner have some romp in a hospital room than put away someone who deserves to be in prison." She finished her statement with a huff, only then looking at Tony, who was staring at her in shock. "What?"

"I never said anything suggesting you had ulterior motives toward McGoo," Tony said, a slow grin snaking across his face. Ziva seemed to realize her words then and muttered words of disbelief to herself, opening her mouth to explain, but Gibbs cut in before she could say anything.

"Come on. Let's get it over with." He stood from his desk, making his way toward interrogation, while Tony leaned back in his chair, wanting to milk the new information he'd received.

"You sure you don't wanna make him sit there, get a little crazy at being kept so long?" he asked, and from the look on Gibbs' face as he circled back to Tony's desk, Tony shoved his doughnut onto his desk and stood up. "Uh, right, on your six, Boss." Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked off again, and Tony stopped by Ziva's desk on his way out, intending to drop another comment, but the sudden smack to the back of his head prevented him from doing so.

Ziva smiled a little to herself at the action, standing and following the two men to interrogation, but it didn't soothe her nerves any. Not only was she worried about McGee's well-being and how this interrogation would go, but now Tony knew that she at least had considered McGee in a way that was more than platonic, and she knew he would not leave things alone until she admitted her feelings, one way or another.

She entered the observation room silently, closing the door behind her with a click and watching as Tony entered interrogation, slapping a file on the table as he sat down. Rogers looked up from his side of the table and Ziva kept her face solemn as she took in his expression. He didn't look guilty, or even angry, but almost bored. The thought brought a flash of rage to her eyes, and she made a fist at her side, remembering that Tony and Gibbs were allowing her the final blow where Rogers was concerned and she would have her chance yet.

Rogers himself was an unremarkable man, average height and build, sandy blond hair, pale blue eyes. But something in his demeanor told her this was their guy, and Ziva suddenly felt impatient as the need to be in the room and talk to him overwhelmed her.

She watched as Tony began the interrogation, keeping her eyes on Rogers, but found her mind wandering once McGee's named was mentioned. She was itching to get back to the hospital and see him again, Tony had been right about that much. And that while she wasn't about to jump in his bed and ravish him once she arrived at the hospital, she knew her earlier retort spoke more of her true feelings than she had even admitted to herself.

"Still bored?" Tony asked on the other side of the glass, and Ziva forced her attention back to the interrogation, having a feeling of what was coming next. Sure enough, Tony's next words were, "Maybe you'll like looking at my partner a bit more. But just so you know," he leaned over the table and continued in a stage whisper, "I think she's taken."

Ziva gave the glass a facetious smile. "I am going to kill him," she said through gritted teeth, turning toward the door as it opened. Gibbs walked in and Ziva gave him an expectant look. "What? I was just about to go into interrogation."

"I know."

Ziva rolled her eyes, taking a step toward him, intending to push past him and leave the room. "I will be fine, Gibbs. I can be professional."

"Don't doubt that, Ziva."

She waited for the 'but' he didn't say, finally crossing her arms over her chest and blowing out a frustrated breath. "Clearly you came in here for a reason, Gibbs."

"Yeah, to watch your interrogation." He made a motion with his hand for her to move out of the way and she did, looking confused. When he saw her expression, he rolled his eyes. "Don't expect a heart-to-heart every time we're alone, Ziva. I'm not Ducky."

Ziva had to smile at that, and just held back a laugh as she shook her head and walked out of the observation room. But as soon as the door clicked shut behind her, her smile disappeared as she remembered the reality of the situation. They could have died in that explosion, and McGee remained in the hospital from his injuries. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering the facts of the case inside her head, preparing for what she'd say to Rogers, and reminding herself of her Mossad training, which always helped in these situations.

She opened her eyes then and then the door to interrogation, waiting for a response from Rogers to her entrance, but he didn't move or look her way. But Ziva saw the slight clench of his jaw and smiled a bit to herself. This could be fun.

She walked around the table and pulled the chair out slowly, watching Rogers' mouth twitch in impatience. She dawdled around for a few more moments, then finally sat, though she still took her time pulling the chair forward, at last folding her hands together on the table. She'd spent some time deciding how she would begin her interrogation, and while it may not have been the most professional way to go about it, there was only one way she knew she could start off.

"From my partner's initial interrogation, you have heard about the building explosions yesterday, though I have a hard time believing you were not aware of them before then. And while he seemed to _bore _you, I can assure you that things will not remain that way." Rogers glanced up then and Ziva held back her triumph, knowing she had at least gained his attention. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and turned her hands over, revealing scrapes and scratches on her arms from crawling around in the debris. "I was in one of those buildings when it exploded, as was my my other partner, who can't join us today because he is currently in the hospital, recovering from his leg being smashed," she slammed a hand on the table, glad to see it made Rogers flinch, "almost beyond the point of recovery." She paused for a moment, collecting herself, then said, "Thankfully for him, he _will _make a full recovery. However, the United States government does not take kindly to their federal agents being blown up, so I think your future will not be quite so bright."

Rogers narrowed his eyes at her. "I didn't blow up any building."

Ziva nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Well, I would believe you, but before the explosion, my partner – Agent McGee, you probably would have liked him, but unfortunately for you, you are not going to get a chance to meet him unless he comes to visit you in prison – found a video camera. And we just so happen to have a forensic scientist who is very good at putting together footage from cameras that appear to be destroyed. Would you like to watch it?" She gave him a wide-eyed look and pushed herself up from her chair, walking to the TV screen on the far wall and hovering a hand over the power button. He didn't respond, just stared at her, so she continued. "It will not be any hassle to us. She has already done the work, so we should really indulge her, let her know all her hard work was not for nothing."

Rogers leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, looking smug. "I don't think you really have anything and this is just another way to try to get me to confess." He shook his head. "I'm not that dumb."

Ziva nodded, then shrugged. "Alright, I suppose if you do not believe me." She pressed the power button, bringing up a still Abby had recovered from the camera, one that revealed Rogers and another man she assumed to be his accomplice. Rogers hid his panic, but not before Ziva saw the flash of worry in his eyes. She circled around behind him, bending and muttering in his ear, "Are you going to tell me that is not you?"

"That could be anyone," he said, still not giving in.

"True, but it is not." Ziva moved back toward the screen, searching for something. "Now where did I put that little clicker thing?" She looked all around the screen, finally letting out an 'Aha!' upon finding it, and showing it to Rogers before turning her attention back to the screen. "You see, Mr. Rogers," she paused and giggled at the name, "that will never _not _be funny to me, as you are nothing like that man. Ah, what was I saying? Of course. This still from the camera shows someone who, with a little zooming," she clicked the clicker a few times, making the picture bigger, "looks remarkably like you!" She turned back to face him, smiling. "Now, you can admit it, and give us your friend's name, and my boss could talk to a judge, maybe lessen your sentence for your cooperation." She moved back to her chair, sitting down and leaning forward slightly. "Do we have a deal?"

Rogers hesitated, clearly considering the option, and finally said, "You can talk to a judge?"

Ziva gave a satisfied smile and raised one of her hands, snapping her fingers. Within seconds, Tony was in the room, handcuffing Rogers as he read him his rights, listening to the man babble as he confessed. He took him from the room, and Ziva let out a relieved breath, leaning back in her chair. It was over. Or, at the least, her part in it was done.

"Good job," she heard from the doorway, and looked up to see Gibbs standing there. She gave him a soft smile, then got an expectant look on her face, as though she wanted to ask him a question. He tipped his head toward the hallway. "Go on. Get out of here. I already told Vance you'd be going to 'check on McGee' after we got the confession."

Ziva smirked at that and stood up, sliding past him and turning only to say, "Thank you," before hurrying off toward the elevator, not even bothering to hold in her eagerness to go see McGee.

She made it to the hospital in record time, but slowed her pace once she reached the building, suddenly nervous. They'd handled Rogers and the case was essentially over, except for paperwork, so now Ziva had to deal with what she'd put off – her heart.

She made her way toward the intensive care unit McGee had been placed in, smiling as she saw the curtains by his bed moved aside and McGee lying in his bed, looking bored.

"If I would have been thinking, I would have brought your phone for you to play with," she said, and watched as he sat up, his eyes lighting up as he looked over to her. She walked over to his bed, taking hold of his hand, not missing the surprised look he gave her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here," he admitted, and Ziva narrowed her eyes at him, unable to hold back her grin.

"Just how many painkillers did they give you, McGee?" Her smile grew at the laugh he gave, and she looked around for a chair, releasing his hand long enough to grab the one she saw and drag it to the bedside before sitting and taking hold of it again, this time holding it between both her hands. He laid his head back down and smiled at her, waiting to see what she would say or do next.

Ziva sat up straighter and forced herself to look him in the eye as she told him, "Rogers confessed. Or, well, he _had _to confess once we brought up footage from that camera you found in what was his meeting place." He gave her another surprised look and she gave him a soft smile. "Tony mentioned finding a camera, and I realized that was what you had in your hand while we were trying to escape."

He nodded, but didn't dwell on it, instead saying after a few moments, "Uh, so the doctor said I should be able to go home in a day or two."

Ziva's face lit up. "That is wonderful, McGee!" She squeezed his hand, then noticed he was blushing. She cocked her head to the side. "What?"

"Well, he said I should have someone I can call around the clock, who could go with me to physical therapy and generally help out while I recover." His eyebrows rose as he gave her a small smile. "I was wondering. . ."

"I would love to," Ziva responded, and she watched as the blush dissipated from McGee's face. She bit her lip then, her eyes sparkling. "It will give us more time to spend together."

He nodded. "So you can sort out your feelings."

Ziva paused, looking thoughtful, then met McGee's eyes. "I do not think I need time for that."

His expression turned serious as he met and held her gaze. "Me either."

**The End (for now. . .)**

****_A/N: And that's it! As it says, for now. ;) I do have a sequel planned, though I haven't started on it yet. (The main reason it's a sequel and not all one big story is that this story had a deadline & I knew I wouldn't have enough time to write the story as a whole if I wrote in McGee's recovery, too, lol.) So hopefully you guys will hang around & read that once I post it. :) And thank you for all of you who put the story on alert/favorites and/or reviewed. Very much appreciated! :)_


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